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W. H. ABEL KNITTING MACHINE.

No. 105,538. Patented July 19, 1870.

. loom .head, having UNITED STATES Pn'rnlv'r OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. ABEL, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, AssIje oR To HIMsELF,

ROBERT. H. BROWN, AND Joan's. CRANE.

IMPROVEMENT IN KNITTING-MACHINES:

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 105,538, dated July 19, 1870.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known-that I, WILLIAM H. ABEL, of

full, clear, and exact description, reference bemg had to the accompanying drawing making part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 of the drawing represents a side view of a portion of an operating'knittingneedle-slides of different, lengths and of different forms, and also three distinct and diflerent devices, means, or mech- I anisms for actuating and operating the slides and the needles. Figs. '2, 3, and 4 represent difi'erenthorizontal sections on the-respective lines J K, L M, and 0 P, of Fig. 1, each sec:

tion showing the-differentdevice,means, or

mechanism adapted for actuating or. rocking alternate slides to carry their needles outward,

either mechanism being-intended to be. used separately; but they may be used altogether,

1 if preferred. -Fig. 5 represents avertical section of Fig. 1, onthe line B S thereof. Figsl 6, 7, and S'represent side and edge "iews of the differentslides which I use with the actuating devices shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4,

each slide being armed with a needle -in the usual way. Figs. 9, 1'0, 11, and 12 are difl'erent elevations of the needles I employ, with rocking slides, which are actuated by devices at or near their lower ends or'below the butts d, by which the slides are caused to rise and fall or reciprocate. Fig. 10 is an enlarged crosssection ot'the. shank of the needle.

, This invention relates to weft-thread knitting-looms or knitting-machines which intro-' .duce continuous weft-thread between the rows or loops or stitches, thereby forming a peculiar kind .of warp and weft fabric. This invention consists: First, in the combination, with the .needlecarrying slides, of a wheel operating against such slides below the butts by which they are reciprocated, the slides and wheel being constructed substantially as described, .to skip or press certain of the slides, as also described. Secondly, the slides D in combination with the cam A working against and moving such slides to throw their needles out of line:

loom head or section of being constructed substantially as described.

Fourthly, the combination of long and short slides D D", having butts cl, with the cylinder having cam-groove H and cam A, the latter acting on the long slides to divide the needles and the former reciprocatingthe slides.

In Figs. l to 12, inclusive, I have shown an outer or cam-cylinder of an operating knittingsuch a cylinder of peculiar construction, and also the appropriate slides and needles and devices for operating and actuating such slides and needles, or for dividing and pening the latter to receive and inclose we thread between them while rising or advancing, and for opening and divid- .ing to receive, and for rising or advancing to inclose, weft-threadsidirectly upon or sufficiently nearthe old loops on the needles, to insure their being drawn over. the weft-threads with ease, certainty, and success, without the aid of any otherldev-ice.

In Figs. late 8', inclusive, 1 have shown sections of a weft-thread knitting-loom head with two horizontal grooves in the outer cylinder and three separate and distinct devices or "mechanisms for actuating the slides D and the needles; also, slides of proper construction to be actuated by such devices. The upper groove His for the reception of the butts d, which operate the slides, or which raise and depress or reciprocate them and the needles while being carried around in the circuitous groove by the rotating inner cylinder. The lower groove X is simply to admit the wheels to acting contact with the slides and for a path for the lower butts d, which are applied to the slides or formed thereon, and which render the latter capable of being actuated or rocked by the plain-surfaced wheel B This plain wheel is arranged to rotate ona pivot passing through it into an ear orstand, d projecting from the central portion G of the outer or cam-cylinder, and when the slides are raised by the upper but-ts d passing up the inclines of the upper groove H, and carried along in the toothed wheel 13'', and setting its teeth so as to through two others,

upper horizontal portion of said groove, these lower butts are brought upward and around to a position, as shown, where the wheel can act against each passing lower butt and press the lower end of each alternate slide into the groove. This rocks or actuates the alternate slides and carries their needles outward, or divides the needles and produces a path or opening slrtficient for the easy,certain, and successful introduction of the weft-thread a between the needles, as clearly seen in Figs. 1 and 5. The form of the rocking slide is shown in Figs. 5 and 6. This slide is rocked or actuated by pressing its lower end inward .with its fulcrum 3 against the back of the vertical groove in which the slide operates. The other slide D used in this machine, is shown in Fig. 8, and it has only the upper butt d, the lower one being dispensed with. This lastnamed slide, when used in connection with the slides having lower butts-d may be used in the form shown, and only operate vertically; or the form of this slide may be changed tothe form shown by lines 2 2, and thus be made to rock, instead of the others, by simply detaching the plain wheel 13, and by applying the operate on these as the alternate slides. By the change last-above described this machine will be rendered capable of producing what I call the basket-weave or the diamondweave, where the weft-thread passes over one loop, through the two next inverted loops,-and forward of another like the first, which it partly or wholly conceals, thence over a loop and as before.

In the production of the basket-weave all the. weft-threads of several feeds pass over loops in the same row, series, or wale, the slides being operated and actuated ashereinafter described. When the toothed wheel B is used for rocking or actuating the slides and the needles, all the lower butts d, and all theother actuating devices, may be dispensed with, and the teeth of this wheel may be arranged to press on any slide or slides in the series. A full-sized machinehas one of these toothed wheels at every section or rise of the slides and the needles, and by setting the teeth of these several wheels, some on the same and some on other and different slides, or on every third, fourth, or other slide or slides, a great variety of changes, and consequently figures in the fabchine, if preferred ric, can be produced thereby.

Instead of the gear-wheel or the plain wheel for actuating the slides I sometimes use a stationary cam, A clearly shown in Fig. 4. This cam actuates only alternate slides D the others, seen in Fig.8, are shorter, and operate vertically above the-cam. All or any two of the above-described actuating devices may be applied and used in connection on the same mabut either one of them is capable of actuating the slides and the needles,

as described. The flattened needles are prefera-. ble in this machine, by reason of their greater strength or rigidity in their edgewise direction.

The inner and operating cylinder in this machine should be constructed like the common reciprocating latch needle knittingmachine, or like that shown in my previous-application filed October 8, 1869, the principal diiierence between this and the inner cylinder of the said previous appli-- machine, as shown in my cation, being in the devices or mechanisms for actuating and operating the slides, and in the construction and other peculiarities of the latter, as described.

What I .claim, t-ers Patent, is-

1. The combination, with the needle-carryin g slides, of a. wheel operating again st such slides below the butts by which they are reciprocated, the slides and wheel being constructed, substantially as described, to skip or press certain of the slides, as described.

.2. The slides D in combination with the cam A working against and moving such slides to throw and desire to secure by Lettheir needles out of line with respect to the other needles for receiving the weft-thread. v

3. The cam-cylinder, having groove H .and slides D D, each tion with a wheel acting against such slides below the butt-s to separate the needles of such the slides and wheel being constructed slides, substantially as described.

4. The combination of long and short slides D D, having butts d, with the cylinder having cam-groove H and cam A, the latter acting on the long slides to divide the needles and the former reciprocating the slides. I

WILLIAM H. ABEL.

Witnesses SQUIRE L. BAILEY, A. A'. HART.

having butts d, in combina. 

